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Thread: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story below...

  1. #1

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    Default Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story below...

    For any of you out there that remember flicking through Modern Drummer ads way back before the Internet, you might have seen one of these.



    It's a Purecussion RIMS kit, most likely dates from around the early to mid 1980's, with Remo 'Pretuned' coated heads.

    You won't find that many Youtube videos on them (I've only seen three so far after some searching), nor much information on the 'Net in general about them, as they had only been around for a short time. The company was well known for it's design and patent for RIMS suspension mounts (something that you'll no doubt see on a lot of different manufacturers' sets, so Gary Gauger, the guy who invented and developed RIMS, decided to concentrate on that aspect of the business and eventually Purecussion Headsets were relegated to history. Sure there are probably a number of them stashed away in various nooks and crannies around the planet (Neil Peart is well known to have one in his dressing room for warm ups prior to hitting the stage, and Jojo Mayer used do endorse them, for instance), but as far as I know, over in my neck of the woods, they're on pretty thin ground.

    Here's one thing too.....they predate companies like Arbiter's Flats by at least a few decades. I'm definitely collecting these for their historical value, not their monetary value.

    In fact I could count on my hand how many times I've seen and/or heard a Headset....definitely can recall seeing one at the old Billy Hydes many moons ago as a young drum brat, then wondering why I had to shell out (pun intended) many hundreds of dollars to own a shell-less (and portable) kit.

    Not anymore. This evening after teaching, I'll be getting my hands on one of these for would you believe......$95!!! Nope, not making this up, couldn't believe it, saw the ad appear on Gumtree and within 25 minutes of it appearing, I was on the phone closing the deal, which shocked the guy as you can imagine....he thought no-one would have been interested. I told him "Are you kidding me? I can take this way more portable five piece drumset to lessons, put it in the back of a mate's car without them moaning about a full sized kit....for $95? Do you know how long I've been looking around for one of these??? Of course I'll be glad to take it off your hands!" Plus this will make doing home-visit lessons such a breeze....all I need is my snare case (with seat included), cymbal bag slung over my shoulder, and a small sports bag with a bass drum pedal, hi-hat seat and snare stands and stick bag slung over the other shoulder and I can literally walk in with an entire kit that takes very little time to set up (it's all memory locked from what I recall). Should be a very welcome addition to Drumbledore's "Drum Shop" I've got going here.
    Last edited by Drumbledore; 05-27-2013 at 06:03 AM.
    "...it's the Paradigm Of The Cosmos!" Stewart Copeland on Youtube

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  2. #2

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    What a deal Drumbledore! Nice score and a perfect convienience for you!
    Reminds me very much of the Arbiter Flats lite 800 kits but those run approx. six to 7 times more than what you're locking in for! Congrats man!

  3. #3

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    sweet!



  4. #4

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    used to play on the street with a set of those in '92


    Last edited by davezedlee; 05-25-2013 at 06:18 AM.

  5. #5

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    Love to hear what that sounds like.
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  6. #6

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    Looks nice. Easy transport!
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  7. #7

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    When I had looked up the pics I've posted, it was a very interesting read. Congrats on such a time piece Drumbledore! Hope to see more up close pics too.

  8. #8

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    I used to have a set. Thin sounding but they didn't take up as much room in my apartment. Mostly used for practicing.

  9. #9

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    Quote Originally Posted by drummer View Post
    I used to have a set. Thin sounding but they didn't take up as much room in my apartment. Mostly used for practicing.
    Would you say they are neighbor friendly, too?

  10. #10

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    Ok.....just a little bit of an update. Yep, picked it up....not in bad shape at all.....at least the guy looked after it. Apparently he got it somewhere in the early 90's over here in Sydney. Considering what components make up the kit (remember, it's three toms, a bass drum....well, sorta) and a couple of cymbal arms all clamped together, the fact that it's reasonably light (together with its carry bag) was definitely a plus factor.

    Yes it's an early model (the one with pretuned heads) but as I mentioned, even though it would be mainly my teaching kit for the few home visits I do every week, I wouldn't be surprised to use it for some low volume performances....it will certainly be a boon for travelling.....in fact I had a good look at what the reduced load is like now, and it's amazing.......one cymbal case or bag, a snare bag, the bag for the Purecussion kit and a sports bag holding my kick pedal, hi-hat stand, stick bag, the throne tripod, snare stand....hell, I've even thrown in another light Tama cymbal stand, a couple more clamps and two old Tama boom arms and tilters for good measure....that bag plus the three other cases got taken from my drum room straight to the car nearby no problemos. In one trip in fact! The Purecussion case even fits (just!) in the left rear passenger seat footwell! Holy moley!

    When I first got home, after tinkering around for a bit, looking at what clamps fitted where, and after trying the bass drum with a kick pedal.....well of course, the bass sounded a tad....well....meh. But, thank God I've a bit of ahoarding habit with some gear, because....as I looked amongst some lightly used drumheads I realised I still had kept the foam muffle rings from a couple of Remo Ring Muffles (for bass drums) when I changed drum heads on my two Rogers bass drums years and years ago. So, out came a few strips of gaff and before you know it, a ring of foam muffling is now duct-taped to the batter side of that drumhead. I'll be giving the kit a good going over, checking bits and pieces on it, but I'm dying to check out how effective that ring muffle is, especially with a good strong right foot wallop. Definitely going to get some pics done once I've cleaned some gaff tape marks off.....can I pick someone's brain as to the best way to remove old gaff tape marks off white coated drumheads without affecting the while coat? Oli? You got any idea?
    "...it's the Paradigm Of The Cosmos!" Stewart Copeland on Youtube

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  11. #11

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    Nice find Drumbledore
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  12. #12

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    Quote Originally Posted by Bish View Post
    Would you say they are neighbor friendly, too?
    Not in the least. I would throw towels over them but you know the deal. Drums are drums. Still quieter than a regular kit though.
    I ended up selling them and getting an electric kit.

  13. #13

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    Cool Drumbledore! You get a piece of history, and it works for your lessons. And all for $95? I'd say this was an awesome day for you!
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  14. #14

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    Very cool indeed. I do remember seeing those at one point back in the day, only in an ad though. I have not seen or heard one in person.
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  15. #15

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    Okay, just done some photos earlier today in between doing things today. I added a Remo Ring Muffl' to the bass drumhead and just a bit of gaff to dampen and round out the sound of the tomheads. Didn't go for Moongels as these would probably get ruined with the heads being pushed up against each other and the tom arms and Ring Muffl' every time they'd get packed away.







    "...it's the Paradigm Of The Cosmos!" Stewart Copeland on Youtube

    668: The Number Of The Guy Next Door To The Beast.

    "A random act of kindness; it keeps my heart in shape!" - Late8

  16. #16

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    Continued:



    The Drouyn snare doesn't seem to bad as a match....going to roadtest a few of my other drums with it though, especially the piccolos I own.




    Last edited by Drumbledore; 05-26-2013 at 10:12 AM.
    "...it's the Paradigm Of The Cosmos!" Stewart Copeland on Youtube

    668: The Number Of The Guy Next Door To The Beast.

    "A random act of kindness; it keeps my heart in shape!" - Late8

  17. #17

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    drumbledore, I have never heard of such a set more or less seen one..is it possible sometime to add a sound video for all of the rest of us shut-ins? good score.
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  18. #18

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    I'll do that when I get a bit of time midweek. Today was a crazy day with two morning one hour lessons, then off to rehearsals, got back, two more lessons then did a quick set up and some photos. I'll also be off this coming morning into town to go pick up a micro Korg workstation keyboard (that's another great deal I'm getting....I've been immersing myself into melodic stuff of late, I can spend hours sitting around sequencing stuff, it's a great skill to have.....I scored a micro Korg synth second hand only a few weeks back as well). But yes, will definitely get a quick vid and discussion happening.
    "...it's the Paradigm Of The Cosmos!" Stewart Copeland on Youtube

    668: The Number Of The Guy Next Door To The Beast.

    "A random act of kindness; it keeps my heart in shape!" - Late8

  19. #19

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    Very Nice!

    I have my set that I bought new in 1985 and used when I went to University. I have the pre-tuned heads and and upgraded to version 2 so I also have the tunable heads as well. The tunable version is much better sounding. The heads are REMO and are pinstripe. The toms sound really good for not having a shell. The bass has always been the downside and I was intent on mounting a 20" standard bass drum if I had kept gigging them. They fold all up really nice into their case.

    One thing that I did not like about the pre-tuned heads was that they were all tuned to notes (written in pencil on the skin) and they would sound off sometimes.



    I have all the information for these, including the setup instructions, flyers, ads and even the receipt. I think they were about $500 at the time...
    Brent H

  20. #20

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    Do they sound kinda like roto toms?

    all the best...

  21. #21

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    Quote Originally Posted by kay-gee View Post
    Do they sound kinda like roto toms?

    all the best...
    Pretty much... they're built along somewhat similar principles and materials

  22. #22

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    Quote Originally Posted by davezedlee View Post
    Pretty much... they're built along somewhat similar principles and materials
    Now that would be the perfect set for me for beach parties etc...

    all the best...

  23. #23

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    Quote Originally Posted by kay-gee View Post
    Do they sound kinda like roto toms?

    all the best...

    Quote Originally Posted by davezedlee View Post
    Pretty much... they're built along somewhat similar principles and materials
    Well, after giving them a bit of a trial run here at home and taking it for it's debut-drum-teaching-lesson, I'd have to say they're a bit rototom-my (hah! in your face, Mr Webster and your fancy dictionary) but not quite to my ears.....roto's with coated heads, especially the smaller ones, have a pretty clattering sort of sound, especially when wound tight (that's how I like them). But that's where comparisons end. The difference is a rototom has tuning rods that screw into one circular ring (the outer 'spoke') whilst a smaller spoke gets pushed up to tighten the head with the aid of large screw that goes through the outer spoke....RIMS headsets don't have this feature....the later models do have a series of tuning bolts (obviously due to the use of replaceable regular drumheads), however this one I have, being most likely an example of the earliest model, do not have any tuning mechanism.....they're just a pretuned head clipped onto the RIMS holders themselves.

    These pretuned heads on the RIMS set have a bit more of that classic. almost 80's 'pitch bend' quality to them, especially the smallest one....kind of like taking one of the old power toms that were around in those times (like a Yamaha) but going for a coated Emperor on top of a clear Ambassador, and having it medium tight, with maybe a little gaff to mellow the coated head, but with a random lug a little loose.....that sort of pitch bend. I was going to do a quick video this afternoon but time was against me.....fingers crossed, will have a chance to do one tomorrow or at least some time this week.

    I think this will be catching the attention of a fair few of my drum buds, that's for sure. Keep you guys posted.
    "...it's the Paradigm Of The Cosmos!" Stewart Copeland on Youtube

    668: The Number Of The Guy Next Door To The Beast.

    "A random act of kindness; it keeps my heart in shape!" - Late8

  24. #24

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    Quote Originally Posted by Brent H View Post
    Very Nice!

    I have my set that I bought new in 1985 and used when I went to University. I have the pre-tuned heads and and upgraded to version 2 so I also have the tunable heads as well. The tunable version is much better sounding. The heads are REMO and are pinstripe. The toms sound really good for not having a shell. The bass has always been the downside and I was intent on mounting a 20" standard bass drum if I had kept gigging them. They fold all up really nice into their case.

    One thing that I did not like about the pre-tuned heads was that they were all tuned to notes (written in pencil on the skin) and they would sound off sometimes.



    I have all the information for these, including the setup instructions, flyers, ads and even the receipt. I think they were about $500 at the time...
    Almost forgot to say thanks for the extra info and that photo of your kit....cool! Guess I'm not alone in digging them. If I get this video done, see what you think about how I 'primitively doctored' up the bass drum sound! Well, at least now it's not so boomy, hah!
    "...it's the Paradigm Of The Cosmos!" Stewart Copeland on Youtube

    668: The Number Of The Guy Next Door To The Beast.

    "A random act of kindness; it keeps my heart in shape!" - Late8

  25. #25

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    Default Re: Scoring a rarity... a RIMS Purecussion Headset for...wait for it...see story belo

    Here is a pic of the back side. Beside the classic Tama Camco pedal you can see the damper I have. I found this to be great to get a better sound from the bass with less "boing" sound. Have it tune-able really helped!



    I am off working for the next 3 weeks but I can send you a scan of all the folding instructions etc if you wish when I get home. I cannot remember who makes the damper but it really helped get a better bass sound. I played these in university at a local pub doing 50's and 60's tunes and they were not too bad. The cymbal stands actually work out pretty good.

    There is still a place that makes parts for them as well if you google purecussion RIMS headset. They have the tuning pegs and stuff.
    Brent H

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